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Carbon woman pleads to five criminal counts

A Carbon County woman was sentenced to a long county prison term on Friday after pleading to five criminal counts stemming from four incidents.

Amber B. Knappenberger, 33, of Jim Thorpe, was sentenced by Judge Steven R. Serfass to a total of nine to one day less 24 months in the county prison followed by 24 months of probation.She pleaded to one count each of driving under the influence, resisting arrest, criminal conspiracy-delivery of a controlled substance, retail theft, and defiant trespass.She was arrested on the DUI charge on July 4, 2013, along Route 209 in Mahoning Township by state police at Lehighton. After being arrested she was transported to the Lehighton hospital for a blood test. At the hospital she caused a disturbance by using profanities directed at the troopers and hospital personnel, then refused to submit to a blood test.While being taken to the barracks in Towamensing Township, she continued to be unruly, yelling obscenities and spitting on the back of the troopers in the vehicle. She continued the conduct at the barracks.In that case she pleaded to DUI and resisting arrest.The drug count stems from a July 2, 2013, incident in the 600 block of Center Avenue in Jim Thorpe where she sold cocaine to a confidential informant working for the state Attorney General's office.The retail theft occurred on Dec. 15, 2012, at the Walmart store in Mahoning Township. Township police charged her in connection with the theft of $199.96 worth of merchandise.The defiant trespass occurred on Nov. 1, 2013, at Walmart. After the December 2012 incident she was warned not to come on the Walmart property or enter the store but did and was arrested by township police.Knappenberger told the court she was sorry for what had happened and embarrassed.Serfass told her the court "takes very seriously the drug case."In addition to the jail term Knappenberger was ordered to get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, zero tolerance imposed on D&A use, supply a DNA sample, pay a fine of $1,000 on the DUI charge and a one year license suspension, and render a total of 350 hours of community service to be completed during the total term of her sentence. She must also pay court costs, which average about $1,000, and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on parole and probation. She was given credit for six days spent in jail on the charges.She will begin the jail term at 9 a.m. on Sept. 12.